Means for interchanging cores in wire ropes



- c. F. HANSEN MEANS FOR INTERCHANGING CORES IN WIRE ROPE-S May 15, 1951 Filed July 14, 1950 In ventar Charles E Haqsen By WWW 8m Patented May 15, 1951 UNITED STATES ?TENT OFFICE MEANS FOR INTERCHANGING CORES IN WIRE ROPES 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to a simple, practical and ingenious device having expedient facilities whereby wire ropes used in one line of endeavor, for example, in an oil field, may be partially transformed and thus salvaged and subsequently used, let us say, in the logging industry.

More particularly, the invention has to do with ways and means whereby a fibre core in a standard wire rope may be dislodged and extracted from the bore and quickly replaced with a metal core and the rope thus efficiently repaired and transformed to render it aptly suitable for use inthe logging industry where a steel core is required to keep the rope from crushing when passed over certain types of sheaves and rollers, especially those types which are thought not to come up to wire rope requirements and standards.

The inventive concept has to do, somewhat more explicitly, with a simple and economical structural device which permits the user to pursue the necessary steps involved in a feasible method wherein the fibre core in the used wire rope is pulled and withdrawn from the rope bore and wherein the replacement or substitute metal core is inserted and lodged in the bore almost at the same time the fibre core is extracted.

In reducing to practice the preferred embodiment of the invention, means is utilized whereby a used wire rope with a fibre core may be partially transformed by removing said fibre core and replacing the same with a metal core, The means comprises a stationary support having an appropriate guide thereon through which the rope is drawn by force applied to the rope, the rope rotating as it is passed through the guide. Relatively fixed means is associated with and provided on the guide for momentarily unwinding and spacing limited portions of the strands so that they are slightly ballooned. In this distended or ballooned state, sufficient space is provided between the adjacent strands and these spaces are systematically employed for completely withdrawing the fibre core and, while the spaces are available, inserting and feeding the new or substitute core into place to take the place of the fibre core.

In its preferred embodiment the support is in the nature of an upright or post. The guide is in the form of a substantially cylindrical properly bored sleeve which is fixed in an opening provided therefor in the post. The strand spreading and temporary spacing means is a pin which is shoved through and between the strands and which is seated in keeper notches provided therefor in an end portion of the guide sleeve, and the tow means for imparting the longitudinal travel motion to the wire rope is a swivelly mounted clevis.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing the ways and means whereby the used wire rope is subjected to the steps necessary to interchange the cores;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structural assemblage shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the vertical line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the strand separating and ballooning pin.

Referring now to the drawings, the stationary support preferably takes the form of a fixed hollow or equivalent post 6 which is here shown as rectangular in form. The post is provided adjacent its upper end with circular holes 3 and II] to accommodate the guide sleeve 12. This is a cylindrical member and has one end portion l4 passing through the hole ill and welded to the post as at Hi. This end portion has a reduced bore 18 therein which corresponds in diameter to the outside diameter of the wire rope 28. The other end portion of the sleeve is provided with a flange 22 which is welded to the post as shown at 24. This end portion protrudes beyond the flange as at 26 where it is provided with diametrically opposite keeper notches 28. The lastnamed end portion has its bore enlarged in diameter as at 3G to accommodate the expanding or ballooning eilect of the spread strands on the cable or rope. Here the regular type wound strands are denoted (at the right in Figure 1) by the numerals 32. These are helically wound, as usual, around the core. The core is here represented by the numeral 3 3. The latter is the fibre core which is to be removed. In fact, this is shown partly removed in Figure l. The replacement of substitute metal core is denoted at 36. The distended or spread portions of the strands which are located in the clearance pocket or socket 39 are denoted at 38. Here we see the spread open balloon efiect. The separating and spreading implement is denoted by the numeral 40 and this comprises a pin having an eye 52 at its center and end portions 44 and which extend between diametrically opposite portions of .l8 in the guide sleeve the strands and which are seated in the keeper notches 28.

The power line or means is denoted at it and this is joined by an appropriate swivel coupling 55 to the flange 52 on the hitch device. The hitch device is held in place by a U-bolt or staple 5 The parts 52 and 55 make a sort of a clevis which is hitched on the rope or cable so that with the means and swivel coupling 56, the wire rope can be pulled through the bores in the guide sleeve while it is allowed to rotate in an obvious fashion.

In practice, before the core exchange steps are started it is necessar to remove a small portion of the fibre core 3%. Thus, the strands32 are separated before the wire rope is passed through the bore means in the sleeve 12. These strands may be pried apart and thefibre core extracted and peeled and pulied back somewhat as shown in Figurel. As soon as the fibre core is taken out, the inherent Winding properties of the strands Cause the same" to resume their original shape thus leaving a hollowlcore which is to be filled. An end portion ofi'the metal core 36 is placed into this bore and "anchored. Now, the

end ortion which has beenthus partly transformed may bepassed through the bores 3E5 and 12. The clevis is now applied and the spreader pin means-ii] with the end portions passing between the strands is seated in the keeper notches as shown in'Figure .1. Thus spreading and ballooning the strands,

it is possible now as the cable is drawn through the guideto continuously spread and space the strands and .to feed the new'lcore in on one side and to extract and p-ullthe old-core out on a diametrically opposite side.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description ,is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes'in the shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the field of-inventionclairned may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. Means whereby a usedwire rope with a fibre ing said new substitute core for the displaced fibre core.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said support is a fixed post.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein a saidguide isan open ended sleeve.

4. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said support is a fixed post and said guide is an open ended sleeve-fixed on said post.

5. Means whereby a used wire rope with a fibre core may be partially transformed forre-use by removing said fibre core and replacing same with a new metal core comprising a stationary verti-- cally disposed post, said post being provided adjacent its upper endwith aperture means,-an open ended sleeve aligned with said aperture means and fixedly-secured to said post, a wire rope mounted for sliding rotation in the-passage in said sleeve and extending beyond one end of the, sleeve, a clevis clampedon the terminal end portion 01" said'wire rope, a tow line and a swivel connection between the tow line and clevis.

- 6. The structurecspecified' in claim 5 wherein the opposite end portion of said sleeve is provided with keepernotches, and a strand separatin and spacing pin spanning the-sleeve'and seated in the notches, said pin passing between predetermined strands-of the wire rope.

"7. A device of the class described comprising a 'fixedpost, an open ended sleeveyfixed horizontally in said post, one end of the sleeve having keeper notches, and a sprea'deriand spacing pin having a central eye alignable with the axis of the sleeve, saidpin being adapted for removable reception insaidkeeper notches.

CHARLES F. HANSEN.

No references cited. 

